2024 New England Conference

Dear Fellow Rhode Island School Nurses,

In early May, co-chair Sandi Delack and I attended the 2024 New England School Nurses Conference in beautiful Freeport, Maine. This year's theme, "Advocacy: Empowering School Nurses to Make a Difference," provided an enriching experience, as we connected with passionate colleagues from across the region.

Some highlights from the conference include:

• Engaging with remarkable professionals like Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, known as The Relentless School Nurse from New Jersey, who delivered insightful presentations on empowering school nurses and community safety.
• Learning about Partners for World Health from Elizabeth McLellan, RN, MSN, MPH, who shared her inspiring work transporting unused medical equipment to underserved communities worldwide.
• Participating in valuable breakout sessions on topics such as tick-borne illnesses, Otoscope examinations, school Medicaid, pediatric pulmonary conditions and treatments, and managing grief as caregivers.

The sunny weekend was not only filled with professional growth and networking, but also included some enjoyable shopping at the local LL Bean Outlet and other fun opportunities!

As one of your co-chairs for the New England School Nurse Conference Committee (NESNCC), I am excited to share that Rhode Island will host the annual conference in 2027. We are looking for dedicated individuals to help plan this exciting event. It would be wonderful to build a conference in Rhode Island that focuses on advancing school nursing practices and offers networking opportunities with neighboring school nurses.

If you're interested in joining our planning team, please reach out to me. Your involvement would be greatly appreciated!

Looking ahead, next year’s conference will be held in Devens, Massachusetts, from May 2nd to 4th. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Samantha Paquette, RN, BSN, RICSNT, NCSN